4 / The Supreme Ruler of the Underworld: the Nether Sovereign Yama King
I now faithfully describe Great Emperor Fengdu’s appearance exactly as I beheld him.
The supreme ruler of the netherworld is Great Emperor Fengdu, the Nether Sovereign Yama King. He is tall, robust and imposing, bearing an air of solemn majesty. He has a round face with regular features, wide glaring eyes, and brows radiating awe-inspiring dignity.
The Emperor wears a gentle smile toward virtuous beings, softening his countenance. Yet when facing condemned souls, he turns exceptionally stern and wrathful. His brows and eyes arch sharply upward, striking fear into all who behold him.
When he rebukes condemned souls, his voice is deafening. His eyes, already large, widen further in anger. He opens his mouth wide and slams his table forcefully, thoroughly overwhelming the souls with terror. He always gives an impression of being unapproachable.
Upon his head rests an ancient official-style hat fitted with rectangular front and back hanging veils. The rectangular frame is black, while the veils are white. The hat carries tremendous grandeur, adorned with a map depicting the mountains and rivers of the human world woven in five colors. At the centre of the hat sits a red gemstone. Flanking the gem lie undulating blue ocean patterns. Above the oceans stretches an ochre expanse of land, dotted with green forests and lofty mountains. The whole design is magnificently crafted, encapsulating all mountains, rivers and lands of the human realm upon a single hat.
The imperial robe worn by the Great Emperor is adorned with a vibrantly colored Diagram of the Six Realms of Rebirth. Circular in shape, the diagram is equally split into five segments. At the very top lie the Heaven Realm and the Asura Realm, where male and female celestial beings fly through the air and asuras wage war against heavenly troops. Directly opposite the Heaven Realm lies the Hell Realm. Within it, sinful souls suffer torment: boiled in oil cauldrons, beaten by ghost officers, and forced to embrace scorching copper pillars. Clockwise adjacent to the Heaven Realm is the Human Realm, populated by three groups of beings: the wealthy, laborers and poor farmers. Further clockwise below the human realm is the ghost realm, home to big-bellied hungry ghosts, emaciated starving ghosts, smoke-fire ghosts and others. Across from the ghost realm dwell all manner of beasts, domestic fowl and wild creatures of the animal realm.
5 / The Nether Edict for Soul Entities — Ox‑Head and Horse‑Face Elaborate the Entire Process of Handling Mortals upon the End of Their Lives
Lately, it seems that the weather in many cities of the human world shifts in an instant, especially in coastal regions. One moment, the sun blazes overhead, its scorching heat leaving people drenched in sweat; the next, gusts rise and torrential rain pours down. Anyone out with a slightly small umbrella may find it flipped inside out by the wind, soaked to the skin. Such erratic weather recurs several times a day as of late. For those dwelling along the coast, wind and wave conditions fluctuate even more drastically. Those with weaker immunity easily catch colds, and many around complain about the foul, sweltering weather and poor air quality.
Stepping into shopping malls and office buildings of all sizes, one is met with bitterly cold air conditioning. This constant swing between heat and chill takes a toll on everyone. All hope the weather will settle and improve, yet for all their wishes, climatic conditions remain unchanged. Humans always desire everything around them to be favorable, yet most overlook how they treat nature day by day.